Ice formation is a serious economic and safety problem in different industries, especially the aeronautics sector. In recent decades, several fatal aircraft icing incidents have been recorded. Contrary to popular belief, these incidents do not occur only in regions with extreme weather conditions, as shown by the accident in Madrid in 2017.[1]
Besides causing accidents, ice formation can severely affect aircraft performance[2], especially due to ice build-up on the tail’s horizontal stabilizer, which reduces the plane’s ability to offset the nose-down pitch. Aircraft performance is also affected due to ice formation on the wing surface[3] by increasing resistance and decreasing the ability to create lift.
A great deal of work has gone into solving this problem, based on two different strategies:
- Anti-icing or passive solutions (See image below) and
- De-icing or active solutions
Application of products to prevent freezing
Let’s explore AIMPLAS’ role in the MAI-TAI project to prevent ice formation on aircrafts using new technological solutions.